The law behind a model
BIM copyright: who owns a building model and for how long
Updated
A model can be licensed for AI training only by whoever holds the rights in it. Two statutes answer most of that, and the terms they set run for decades.
Is a building model protected at all?
US law protects architectural works as a category of their own, defined as the design of a building as embodied in any tangible medium of expression, including a building, architectural plans or drawings. The definition takes in the overall form and the arrangement and composition of spaces and elements in the design.
Source: BIM model ownership law
How long do the rights last?
In both countries copyright in a new work runs for the author's life and 70 years after. In the US a work made for hire runs 95 years from first publication or 120 from creation, whichever ends first.
Source: BIM model ownership law
Does the UK let anyone train on models without asking?
The UK exception for text and data analysis in section 29A of the CDPA covers computational analysis for non-commercial research only, so a commercial AI buyer needs a licence from whoever holds the rights.
Source: BIM model ownership law
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